98 GT Gear Help

[TopDeadCenter]

Hey guys, have a 3 month old 1998 GT. (About to start mods galore). I want to go ahead and do gears..it's an automatic..everybody tells me 4.10's are a must for an auto..but i goto school 2 hours away and do a lot of HW driving...some help from you all you modular guys and gals.--Trey

 

[RIP 112]

4:10's will jump your RPM up on the highway, so if you got alot of money for gas, knock yourself out. I personally would suggest 3:55's if you do alot of highway driving. It'll make a difference, but save you a little money, too. Oh, if you have that 70mph drone that I have, it'll take that away, too.

 

[02mingreyGT]

Dude with that auto just go ahead and get the 4.10s and because you WILL kick yourself later for getting measley 3.55s

 

[COramprat]

I'm not sure what the tranny ratio of the overdrive is in the auto. If it is the same as the 5 speed in 5th, I would go with 4.10's. My rpm's in 5th is at 2800 at 80. That's what I cruise. My gas mileage in my 96 5sp went down about a mile per gallon hwy so it will cost some but nothing too great. Now keep your cruise speed at 70 and it is even better. If the OD ratio on yours is higher (or lower, however you figure it) then get 3.73's. The 3.55's would be a waste of time and money.

 

[tomustang]

70mph @ 2000rpms with the stock 3:08's.
70mph @ 2700rpms with the 4:10's (roughly)
My choice, get the 4:10's.

 

[Red mustang Gt 46]

You have a V8 Mustang, now give it some balls...4:10's aren't gonna kill your mileage in an automatic. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME/MONEY ON 3:55's...

 

[Dark Knight GT]

I agree with the other guys. 3.55 gears are a waste of money IMHO. If you're planning on staying n/a, then 4.10's would be a good gear for your car. If you're going boost, then I suggest 3.73's.

Get the gears from either Randy Stinchcomb over at www.modulardepot.com under the Ford parts forum or from www.stangstore.com

 

[cc1931]

why would you change your gears....if you want the highway mileage and top end...since you have an auto get a higher stall torque convertelll like 3200 or higher...i haved seen the 1st gear on stangs pull very fast so they are definitely worth it...especially if you wanna race from a dig...

i would say torque converter, tranny cooler, and shift kit with tuning...probably cheaper then gears and itlll keep the mileage on the highway loose you mayb 2pg on the city...but itll fell almost as if its not there during normal driving conditions

 

[Red mustang Gt 46]

A high stall convertor with shift kit would be ideal WITH gears...a high stall torque convertor alone won't get you from point A to point B quicker...from my experience. A gear swap with 4:10's would keep you in your powerband for optimum performance. Trust me, there ain't much that can help 2:73's

 

[COramprat]

why would you change your gears....if you want the highway mileage and top end.

Why does top end always come into the conversation when discussing these gears. YOU DO NOT LOSE TOP END unless you can go over 170 mph which will never happen unless you boost HP by 300. The fastest these cars will go is about 150 due to HP and aero. The only way to overcome the aerodynamics is to greatly increase HP. With 4.10's you get to your max speed quicker and run out of HP before you run out of gear. If you want to go faster than 150 in these cars then you have a death wish.

 

[Dark Knight GT]

Why does top end always come into the conversation when discussing these gears. YOU DO NOT LOSE TOP END unless you can go over 170 mph which will never happen unless you boost HP by 300. The fastest these cars will go is about 150 due to HP and aero. The only way to overcome the aerodynamics is to greatly increase HP. With 4.10's you get to your max speed quicker and run out of HP before you run out of gear. If you want to go faster than 150 in these cars then you have a death wish.

i would say torque converter, tranny cooler, and shift kit with tuning...probably cheaper then gears and itlll keep the mileage on the highway loose you mayb 2pg on the city...but itll fell almost as if its not there during normal driving conditions

Although I agree that a transmission cooler, torque converter, and shift kit are great mods for the auto(I know I have all three), he still needs gears. Those 2.73's are killing him. I will be going with 4.30's in my auto very soon and I have no worries about them at all. I would have gone 4.56's if I had more rpms than what I do. As for the transmission cooler, converter, and shift kit being cheaper than gears, think again. My torque converter was 714 dollars shipped to the door alone. I got it installed for free though since my tranny was being rebuilt under warranty and they put it in for free. You can get gears shipped to your door and installed for around 400 bucks, maybe cheaper if you find the right person to do the install. The shift kit wasn't that expensive though and neither was the transmission cooler. As for the gas mileage, he isnt going to loose but a couple mpg on the interstate but he may gain around town. The torque converter will cost you some gas mileage. I know, I lost some with mine. However, if you're concerned with gas mileage, then you have the wrong car in a GT. These are v8 engine performance cars, not conservative 4 cylinder sedans.